1. Technical Field
This invention relates to the field of equipment housings for outdoor communication structures. More specifically the invention relates to an apparatus for protecting equipment in a walk-up or drive-in ordering apparatus and a method for maximizing heat transfer from an electronic display housing.
2. Background Art
One of the services that modern businesses offer with increasing frequency is the ability to transact business while remaining in an automobile or at a walk-up structure. Consumers find such services appealing because of the convenience and efficiency with which they can complete tasks such as purchasing goods, arranging for services, conducting bank transactions, and paying bills. Drive-in or walk-up ordering is commonly associated with fast-food restaurants and dry-cleaning businesses. However, these transactions may also occur at banks or other establishments where feasible.
The outdoor communication structures currently used by walk-up or drive-in businesses also have certain disadvantages. Because such structures are generally placed in an outdoor location and require some sort of communication link with a person or computer, exposure to adverse weather conditions, communication quality, and vandalism are often significant concerns. Very little, if any, patented technology exists for solving these problems with outdoor communication structures. However, a few patents exist that relate generally to the types of equipment often found in such structures. Some of these references include U.S. Pat. No. 4,002,831 issued to Aeschliman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,856 issued to Takahashi et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,625 issued to Catta, U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,803 issued to Pum et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,493 issued to Jeng et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,120 issued to Howard et al. The teachings of the indicated references do not adequately overcome the problems associated with outdoor communication structures and, more specifically, drive-in ordering apparatus which comprise one subgroup of outdoor communication structures.
A common concern with outdoor communication structures is their exposure to adverse weather conditions. Drive-in ordering apparatus are often positioned remotely with respect to the main business building and cannot receive the benefits of climate control and other protection from heat, wind, dust, and moisture. Remote positioning of a drive-in apparatus is a characteristic choice, for example, with fast-food restaurants where a driveway provides a controlled route for automobiles to approach an ordering apparatus. After placing an order, customers then proceed to a window at the main business building where they pay for and pick up their order. Remote positioning has the advantage of allowing restaurants to improve efficiency by preparing a customer's order while they wait in a line of automobiles to pay for and pick up their order. Other outdoor communication structures may be embedded within an outside facing wall of a building and may or may not be able to receive the benefits of climate control from the building. Even if climate control is possible, the equipment housed in the outdoor communication structure is still potentially exposed to adverse weather conditions.
Among the weather conditions listed above, heat, wind, and dust are particularly troublesome because few conventional equipment housings provide effective protection, particularly in arid or semi-arid climates. A common solution to equipment overheating inside a housing is to provide a fan along with intake and exhaust vents. This arrangement will probably cool the equipment, but at the cost of increased interference with communication, electricity usage, maintenance of fans, and intake of dust and moisture. Ordering apparatus typically have an intercom system with a microphone and speaker that allows customers and business personnel to communicate with each other. Accordingly, the vibration from a fan is transmitted to the intercom microphone and, thus, decreases the coherence of communication to and from the customer. Such interference is in addition to the already troublesome vibration from automobiles, pattering from rain, hissing from wind, and other sources. Also, because a fan continuously intakes and exhausts air, any dust or moisture in the air will be drawn into the housing where it can interfere with equipment such as speakers and/or microphones, fans, lights, and possibly electronic displays.
The above problems are increasingly more troublesome as more businesses begin to install relatively valuable equipment, such as liquid crystal displays, electro-luminescent displays, and field emission displays. Electronic displays such as those listed enhance the communication between customers and business personnel, but they are susceptible to heat, dust, and moisture damage. Not only are displays subject to overheating from sun exposure, but they also generate heat during normal operation that must be dissipated. Currently, electronic displays endure a shortened operation life because of incessant exposure either to heat from the sun or self-generated heat or both. There also exists a paradox that as more effort is made to encase displays and protect them from dust and moisture, heat exposure increases because the encasing prevents proper dissipation of heat.
Thus, it can be seen from the above discussion that it would be an improvement in the art to provide outdoor communication structures having a housing that simultaneously protects equipment from heat, moisture, and dust. Unless better protection is provided, businesses will continue to lose profits from equipment malfunctions that require costly repair and turn away inconvenienced customers.